How I helped a serial career-switcher find her true calling| PART 2 CAREER CLARITY & SKILLS ANALYSIS
(This is a 4-part series on my coaching journey with a multi-talented client named Lynette. If you have missed out on the introduction to her story, please read Part 1)
The first time I met Lynette, I must admit that I found her story to be incredulous. She had worked as a music designer, school teacher, marketing manager, graphic designer, broadcast producer, event organizer and more. Is it even possible for a person to make so many career switches?
After spending time with her, I could see how. Because she was a talented individual who carries herself well, she could convince companies to take her up.
The flipside was that she didn’t stay long enough in any job to deepen her skills and make significant contributions. As time went by, landing the next job became harder as she lacked technical expertise and projects to prove her capabilities. In her own words, Lynette lamented that she has a whole bundle of mediocre skills and wasn’t good at anything in particular.
When I asked Lynette what job she wanted, she replied nonchalantly, “I can do anything.” This is a common answer I hear as a Career Coach. But contrary to what people think, being undecided on what job you want actually means that you are not ready for your next job.
Matching Skills & Interest with In-demand Jobs
I knew I had to help her narrow down on her job choices, so we spent the next few sessions on helping her gain career clarity. Here are some of the activities that we went through:
- Personality Assessment
- Strength Finder
- Career Value & Work Interest Inventory
- Going to job boards to identify in-demand jobs
Lynette concluded that digital marketing is a good fit for her. After all, she has complimentary skills such as graphic design, sound & video editing and is good at making presentations. Besides, she was experienced in marketing and was even headhunted to led a multi-national team!
However, when she shortlisted a few digital marketing jobs from the job boards, she was shocked to see that she wasn’t even able to match up. That was when we did a skills gap analysis & identified her skill gaps.
Upskilling with low-cost courses
Fortunately for Lynette, we were able to zero in on a few online courses in digital marketing that she could attend using her skillsfuture credit. She also took up a leadership course to boost her management skills and bought an Adobe bundle at a steal (thanks to one of her friends) that came with free online training.
All in all, she took about 3 months to complete these courses. By this time, she was a lot more confident in herself and was ready to start her jobsearch.
Part 3 – Putting together a Functional Resume
Part 4 – Jobsearch - Networking & Interview
Back to:
Part 1 – Grief is important in Job Loss
About the Author
Peiling, Chan is a certified Career Coach with a background in media & theatre. In 2011, she founded Starlight & has been working closely with stakeholders in the creative industry since then. She helps:
- professionals & students build fulfilling careers through career exploration, resume & portfolio review, interview preparation & job matching.
- business owners acquire cost-effective insurance coverage for film shoots, stage performances, events & exhibitions, media equipment, drones & more.
In her free time, she indulges in gourmet coffee and catches up on the latest Iphone hacks :-)